Farming Practices: All vine rows are oriented generally from north to south, drip irrigated, spur pruned and cordon trained to a “Vertically Shoot Positioned” trellis with 2 fixed canopy wires. Vines are trained to a modified sprawl system. All blocks are planted 10 feet between rows and 7 feet between vines for a vine density of 622 vines per acre. The vines are managed for fruit production in year 3. This allows for optimum vine health, improved vine to vine uniformity, enhances consistent yields earlier and reduces the risk for poor stand and long term retraining efforts.

Vineyard management of all blocks is organized and timely. Current integrated pest management and sustainability practices are priorities. Vines are cordon suckered at about 3-6 inches of growth. Cordon suckering is the early removal of unnecessary non-count shoots. Selective leaf removal on the east side of canopy is standard protocol and if needed, a second leaf removal pass to fine tune canopies can be accomplished. Crop estimations are made in late July when berries are pea size or larger. Cluster thinning recommendations are made and target yield adjustments are accomplished by veraison for all varieties. Follow up estimates are made on blocks that appear over cropped and a second thinning pass can be made if necessary.

Once berries soften (veraison) a green color thinning pass (removal of secondary fruit or late maturing fruit) is accomplished on most varieties. For example, Pinot gris retains many seconds and green thinning is important for this variety. Vines are closely inspected for insect and disease incidence, monitored and controlled accordingly. All vines are machine harvested unless special requests are made.

Upcoming Events

Carma Club Members Only! Depart Tasting Room at 10am Return to Tasting Room at 4:30pm Join Rob and Brenda Mercer along with our vineyard team for a tour of our farm and vineyards. Tour will include a bus ride from the Prosser Tasting Room to our farm, vineyard tour, and a late lunch at the Ranch House complete with a preview tasting of our 2012 RESERVE MALBEC (won’t be released for sale until October). We’re looking forward to hosting you on our farm. Please RSVP by August 14th. First come, first served. Cards will be charged August 14th, no refunds....